Masculinity in Films

A film heavily influences and cyclically impacts society’s culture. Essentially, when distinct patterns are constantly being presented, the audience’s perspective towards the world is altered. The distinction between the “film reality” and social reality becomes blurred. With regards to masculinity, film contains numerous examples of the archetypal male: those in suits of armour who instinctively react to threats with acts of violence.

Presently, masculinity is perceived as a socially constructed, multidimensional variable, “recast as it intersects with race, class, sexuality and other components of identity.” The extent to which masculinity is interpreted varies given the historical period; however, the core beliefs, behaviours, and attitudes associated with traditional masculine roles remain stagnant.

How is Masculinity Portrayed in Films

Act Like a Man Box

Masculinity is depicted in multiple forms, through both “healthy and productive behaviours, and destructive and harmful traits.” Hypermasculinity lies on the extreme end of the spectrum as it is of characterized by the manifestation of domination, aggression, physical strength, and violence. It proves to be a perilous representation of masculinity in terms of its social ramifications; however, it is being frequently utilized in the film industry.

Masculinity is portrayed in films as describing the “traditional” man to objectify women, to be driven by sex, emotionally repressed, self-reliant, as well as avoid all facets pertaining to femininity. Rather than seeing a man cry on film, instead, you see them “turn violent or present an extremely stoic exterior. ”

Masculinity in Film History

During the 1930s, the film industry was substantially regulated by a code intended to limit the content produced by filmmakers. This entailed banning drunkenness, revenge, sex, and any other actions that suggested immorality or wrongdoing. This slowly became eradicated in the 1950s, where filmmakers began producing more rebellious films that incorporated masculinity and suggested the implication of gender roles.

Stoicism dates back to Athens, 3rd century BCE. Its foundation was laid on overcoming emotions that could lead to potentially negative consequences through the use of logic and reason. However, presently, the use of the term generally suggests being apathetic, detached, aloof, and impassive. This Stoic Man archetype can be witnessed throughout American film history in classic roles played by Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, and Sylvester Stallone. They are characterized by their “emotional impenetrability and solidification in their masculine identities.” The film industry has always ensured that each generation has their portrayal of the white, heterosexual, perfectly sculpted, heroic, stoic, hyper-masculine character “who faces conflict, doesn’t give up, saves the day, gets the girl, and “seals the deal” through procreation or marriage”

Stoicism dates back to Athens, 3rd century BCE. Its foundation was laid on overcoming emotions that could lead to potentially negative consequences through the use of logic and reason. However, presently, the use of the term generally suggests being apathetic, detached, aloof, and impassive. This Stoic Man archetype can be witnessed throughout American film history in classic roles played by Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, and Sylvester Stallone. They are characterized by their “emotional impenetrability and solidification in their masculine identities.” The film industry has always ensured that each generation has their portrayal of the white, heterosexual, perfectly sculpted, heroic, stoic, hyper-masculine character “who faces conflict, doesn’t give up, saves the day, gets the girl, and “seals the deal” through procreation or marriage.”

Masculinity in Film Genres

The viability of a genre “hinges on whether audiences expect a particular experience from the genre and whether, relatedly, the content patterns within the genre reflect a relatively stable set of themes.” Conceptions and endorsements of gender role norms represent a society’s attitudes and values. Exposure to specific genres has also been associated with views about the ways in which roles are or should be distributed by gender.

Many films struggle to maintain status quo. Individualistic male profiles dominate in film genres such as westerns, gangsters, and detectives.

In many cases, narrative films imply that the male audience identify with the male protagonist while the female audience align with the female characters that are generally less important than the male. The point is that the imagery is “pervasive: it is what the men have in common rather than what differentiates them” that attracts their attention. Thus, when a male audience sees the male character in the film succeed and triumph as a result of possessing the “traditional” male characteristics, he will be more inclined to follow suit. Regarding specific genres, police and detective films have the tendency to portray men as more restrictive and both physically and emotionally aggressive. Dramas ensured that the idea of male dominance was omnipresent, often times through the male character objectifying and verbally insulting women or acting in a very sexual manner.

Masculinity in Hollywood Cinema

Superbad

Hollywood has the tendency to maintain the social constructs affiliated with masculinity in the film industry throughout time. They made an effort to emphasize characteristics associated with the “traditional” male given historical or social events that “have in some way threatened or weakened the superiority of heterosexual masculinity.” Examples of this include the resurgence of films showing men recovering their role in both the economic and domestic sphere after returning from war. Additionally, after 9/11, masculinity flared in the film industry, with the emergence of hypermasculine, machismo, and misogenic characters. This is evident in the release of superhero films, “such as Spider-Man, Daredevil, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hulk, and Iron Man.

Summary

In today’s society, statistics show that men are more likely to perpetrate violence. Some argue that this may be attributed to the stereotyped beliefs about gender are relentlessly reinforced through media such as film. The representation of gender in all forms of media is central to how society perceives gender roles in the process of socialization. Masculinity is a “constructible element and fictional male characters produced both in cinema and on television send messages about masculinity to the audience.” It is a contested theme that is significantly tied to not only dominant “social values but also to marginal groups and practices, somehow understood as monolithic and stable but always multiple and fluctuating".